Toe spacing device



Nov. 20, 1951 s. FERR] TOE SPACING DEVICE Filed Oct. 20, 1949 INVHVTOR. BY 6aul Terr! T*r. m. K W

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Patented Nov. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE TOE SPACING DEVICE Saul Ferri, Rochester, N. Y. Application October 20, 1949, Serial No. 123,550

1 Claim. 1

Shoes are frequently worn that crowd the toes out of shape and impress upon them a deformity that is unnatural and should not be there. One effect of such shoes is to crowd the big toe over against the small toe next to it, causing bunions, large joints, callouses, etc. to form on the toes or on the foot.

The object of this invention is to provide a device that can be inserted in a ready made shoe and will allow or hold the big toe to keep in.

proper position and hold it away from the toe next to it, which toe has been crowded unnaturally to one side.

Another object of the invention is to shape this corrective device so that it fits in the toe of the shoe and supports the upper of the shoe from the insole of the shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a corrective device that will provide an arch, shaped more or less like a dome that will extend over the big toe and will leave the little toes free on a deck in the large roomy space provided therefor, at the side of the arch.

These and other objects of the invention will be illustrated in the drawings, described in the specification and pointed out in the claim at the end thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a horizontal section of the toe of the right hand shoe with the corrective device in position thereon or therein, the toes being shown in dotted lines and the foot and the shoe being shown partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the front of the shoe, the section being taken on the line 22:, 22s of Fig. 1, showing the corrective device in position in the toe of the shoe.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the corrective device independent of the shoe.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the corrective device looking at it from the right in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the corrective device is formed.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the wooden block on which the corrective device is formed, showing the corrective device after it has been formed thereon.

Fig. '7 is a side elevation of the block shown in Fig. 6 on which the corrective device is formed.

It will be understood that the figures of the drawing show the corrective device adapted for use in the right hand shoe of a pair of shoes, and the corrective device for the left hand shoe would be symmetrically in reverse of this.

It will also be understood that this corrective device, while shown for use in a womans shoe can also be used in a rnans shoe or a child's shoe.

In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate like parts.

The corrective device which is disclosed herein can be made of a single piece of any thin material, such as steel, copper, stainless steel or plastic or can be made even of cardboard if stiff enough to hold its shape. Preferably, however, it can be made of some suitable kind of plastic.

The corrective device for the right hand shoe can be bent from a piece of fiat material having the shape of the pattern or blank such as is shown in Fig. 5. An intermediate upright part indicated by the reference numeral I is bent upwardly on the bending line 2, leaving a flat lower deck 3, which rests directly on the insole of the shoe and on which some or all of the smaller toes can rest. From the top of the intermediate upright part I, the extension 4 is bent over and down to form the curved part 5 so that it forms part of an arch or a narrow part of a dome. The upright portion l extends high enough so that at the top, it will make contact with the under side r of the upper of the shoe and the extension 4 slopes down as indicated at 5 in Fig. 2, making contact with the under side of the upper of the shoe and preferably extending down between the upper and the insole.

It will also be understood that the part 5 when made is curved with a longer radius than is shown in Fig. 2 and at the bottom is sprung to the right when it is put in the shoe. This tends to hold the corners 6 and l of the right hand side of the deck 3 as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5 firmly ered, and yet the upright portion I, which is wide,

holds the big toe separate from the little toes. The deck 3 is below the little toes; so that all the space between the deck and the upper of theshoe is reserved for the little toes.

By shaping the extension 4 so that it slants rearwardly as shown in Fig. 1 instead of going straight across the big toe more room is: left for the forward part of the big toe and the extension crosses over the big toe between the first 55 and second joints of the toe.

This extension being substantially the length of deck 3.

could go straight across the big toe instead of slanting rearwardly in the position shown in Fig. 1, but the form or position is preferable as shown in Fig. 1. It has been found by experience that this is the best position for it.

It will be understood that the corrective device for the right hand shoe is or can be made in this way. The corrective device for the left hand shoe will be made symmetrically opposite to this; that is, reversed symmetrically from right to left so as to adapt it to the toes of the left foot. The corrective device for the left hand shoe can be made from the same blank if the blank is turned over.

It will also be understood that if the corrective device is made of aluminum or of a plastic, it need not be formed from a flat blank, but can be cast narrow dome portion extending from the upper directly in the regular final shape, which is adapted to be used in the toe of a shoe.

In making this corrective device from sheet plastic, I prefer to use the block it! shown in Fig. 6. In this block a slot H is'cut diagonally from the front toward the back, the length of the slot The blank shown in Fig. 5 is put in the block and the combination is subjected to heat for a short time either in hot water or hot air. This softens the plastic and the sheet of plastic is then bent at the bottom on the bending line 2 to form the deck 3 and on the bending line I2 to form the part 5. The block can be made of wood or of metal and the heat that softens the plastic can be developed in the block itself, electrically or otherwise.

It will also be understood that this device can be made so that the big toe can be placed on the deck and so that the little toes can rest under the arch and the device can be shaped tocorrespond. r r

' edge of the upright portion laterally and rearwardly and over and down between the outer edge of the insole and the upper in one direction and having a rigid deck extending laterally from the lower edge of said upright intermediate portion and across the ins-ele of the shoe inthe other direction, all of said portions being, formed in one piece, said platecomprising a single sheet of rigid material bent to provide said dome, intermediate and deck portions.

' SAUL FERRI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,167,019 Reed Jan. 4, 1916 FOREIGN PATENTS" Number Country Date 79,007 Germany Jan. 31, 1894 265,506 Germany Oct. 9, 1913 480,291 Germany July 31, 1929 

